The Realm
by Aww-Thor
Summary: While not making use of any .hack characters, it's of the same theme. If you people like it, I'll put more of the chapters up.
1. Prologue: The Realm

Prologue: _**The Birth Of The Realm**_

In the twentieth century, man's innovation knew no bounds. Even though the time was marred by massive conflicts, mankind nonetheless achieved a plethora of accomplishments that only one generation ago would've been deemed impossible. Breakthrough after discovery after revelation, technology marched ever onward. Some at first fought the changes, protesting the machine's domination of industry, the automation of the mundane and the rise in bureaucracy it all created. These voices were few, however, as were those who were environmentally slanted. The population on the whole welcomed the changes with open arms.

Then, when the internet became mainstream, it revolutionized the world. Commerce, entertainment and communication all adapted to this new all-encompassing medium. First it was computers that connected to the internet. Then phones. Then watches updated their time online. Nearly every object that was electronic was designed to connect. The growth of the worldwide web defied even exponential modeling, anything and everything could be found online. Be it legal or illegal, it was available for download. Once again, some said the content was degrading social morality. Others accused the internet of rendering all copyright laws utterly ineffective. Even if these few voices had been billions, there was no stopping the internet. Burgeoned beyond all comprehension, it was a juggernaut bent only on expansion.

As the twenty-first century began a new kind of game became popular very rapidly. The usual "gamer" crowd were the first to flock to it. Soon enough, though, more and more people found themselves in front of computer displays. Drawn to the epic adventures, the unlimited potential, the fantasy escape. MMORPG, Massively Multiplayer Role-Playing Games, became all the rage. Thousands of users became millions. Millions reached over a billion as time progressed. Some achieved immense popularity, and others never saw the light of day. By this time anyone who had spoken out against the new technologies of man was either dead or playing their character on their favourite MMORPG. As the real world had embraced the internet, so too it embraced this genre. School classes were now held in games online. Businesses set up shop in virtual towns. Any outside observer would've been able to say that this behavior was madness, but society was too wrapped up in it to notice. It became commonplace, acceptable, the norm, to spend four or more hours in the game, for people of all ages, classes, races.

But this would not last forever. As computers reached their operational limits, and processors could not be built faster, technology plateaued. Year after year, the same computers were re-released. No improvement. No doubling of memory. Without shiny new graphics to keep the trend alive, users became disinterested. The love affair with the online reality had dulled. What had once amazed now bored. One by one, as users flocked away from the MMORPG, the games died. A fantasy reality without people to populate it will collapse quite quickly. Those who were loyal, those who loved the games, rallied to new ones as the ones they played fell. In time though even the most popular one (The World Mark 4) fell to ashes. The internet was abandoned as a popular tool, and was left largely unused by the masses who had moved on with their lives.

Humanity remained stagnant for sometime, their creative surge spent. Life was good, the countries of the world now on more equal footing, many major problems eliminated. The pace slowed, people were content, and not much varied from day to day. But a genius was soon to change this. Pandemonium breeds within the heart of stagnation, for change is always inevitable. A brilliant young student, Kevin Cameron, finally created something new, something brilliant. The world was about to take one giant leap forward.

What he created was a neural interface that was able to guide and impose limits on "dream" thoughts while people were still awake. The tyranny of the five waking senses over the mind was overthrown, and the mind was freed. With this device, you could be immersed in a fantasy realm that is viewed from first person and seems entirely real. These illusory sensations created jointly by the device and the mind supplant the five senses. What is real is undone, and what is unreal is made real. This discovery alone was significant, but not able to radically change the world alone, but...

Soon afterwards he created software that could link multiple people to the same surreal realm, and they were capable of interacting in real-time. Two people, from any distance, with no wires to connect them or radio signals bouncing through the air, said hello in a fantasy dreamscape. The two test users became twenty, as the limits of this technology were cautiously tested. Twenty immediately became a thousand. The simplicity of the device granted it sublime power, it was capable of the impossible.

Here was the something new that the complacent humanity had been subconsciously craving. While not quite totally new, to compare the paltry experiences offered by the past virtual realities to this _reality_ would be a crime. A new kind of MMORPG expanded into the empty entertainment void. It could hardly be called a game in its' immensity, for soon over half the global population logged in daily. The game came in time to be known as "The Realm". The year is 2206, and The Realm has been up since 2174.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter I: New User ID # 9028659574

As I glanced around myself I saw that it was another beautiful spring morning, although hardly anyone ever noticed the weather these days. After a cold winter new colours are blossoming everywhere, shades of deep red, vibrant yellow and tempestuous purple lining the path I take to school. Still, noone else really pays attention to this, since most people don't even bother to go outside anymore. Not that it really matters to me, if other people want to miss out on nature's glory then that's their own affair.

Still, I wish there were more people going to my school these days. Almost everyone goes to an online class in that game they're always talking about. I just don't think it's healthy to plug something into your brain like that, the idea creeps me out way too much. Most of my classmates' parents feel the same way as I do, and that's why they enrolled their kids at the only real school left in the city. The other kids always whine between classes about how their characters are falling behind because of their parents, but I don't talk to any of them much. I just sit down, do my work and then go home. It's not that I'm antisocial or anything, it's just that...well,...ok maybe I am antisocial, but oh well. The other kids are nice and everything, I've just never felt the need to talk to any of them. Whenever anyone else comes up and talks to me we eventually get to the subject of that silly game, and when they find out I don't play they give me an odd look and the conversation sort of dies.

Takes notes, change classes, take notes, change classes, take notes. Another cookie-cutter day spent at school. The afternoon was splendid enough to match the morning for my walk back home, though. Get home, sure enough my little brother is using one of our family interfaces, along with mom and dad. Ahh, quality family time, the three of them all in the same room and not aware of each other in the slightest. I let out a deep sigh as I entered my room, my inner sanctum safe from the madness of that infernal game. Time outside of school was best spent reading, there were so many great books out there. While I experienced a world of true fantasy from a multi-viewpoint narrative, they all played some silly fantasy game instead. Eighteen years old now, and I still haven't logged in once, nor felt the compulsion to.

Maybe I didn't feel the need to log on, but my parents were sure pushing me to get into the game. They even started sending me to a psychiatrist every week last month. He tells me that it's unwholesome for a young person my age to spend so much time outdoors. When I told him I don't spend ALL my time outdoors, but I also read, he began scribbling furiously on his little notebook. Most people are surprised that books even exist nowadays, they are historical antiquities long past their time in most people's minds.

Heck, maybe if I log in just once then it'll get my parents off my back. Maybe it's time to see what this "Realm" is all about. I can't stand to sit through another one of those sessions with that psychiatrist and his probing looks. These thoughts bounced around my head as the smooth curves of the neural device drew the eye. Two circular rings, one tilted to the left and the other to the right, forming an 'x' at the front and at th back. My parents had given me the thing for my third birthday, and were rather taken aback when I just let it gather dust and continued to play outside.

I let out a breath of air as I felt the weight of my decision upon my shoulders. Fine, login once, see this crummy falsehood and then leave. Then I'll get right back to my books no harm done, because you really can't insult something without trying it at least once. I moved slowly towards its resting place, each step more difficult than the last. Hands now gripping the object like a viper, raising it slowly around my head. It was firmly in position now, so I took a deep sigh and hit the on button. No going back now, reality flickers instantly away as the device now bends thoughts as required to guide the user towards the alternate reality that is The Realm.

What an odd sensation. Momentary confusion as your five senses all agreed that you were stationary in a room with its sights and smells, then for no apparent reason you are somewhere else entirely. Now in a medium-sized black room, unadorned and smelling only of cool, crisp air, able to understand where you are, but not physically being there. You possessed no body in this place, only a perspective. Supposedly the game wasn't like this, this is just where you go before entering the game. Some people called it the place that is "neither here nor there". The best thing to do seemed to be to take a step forward, and then one back, without any legs. It should've caused dizziness or something, but the device took care of that and it all seemed natural enough.

A blandish sort of voice spoke from one of the walls. "Welcome to the Realm. We detect that you have not previously created a character, would you like to create one now or would you like to exit the Realm?" This was very strange, speaking to a wall and being just a position in the room yourself, but the procedure was to just reply to this voice. It was called the Guide, and allows you to chose which of your characters you want to play and where to enter the world.

Speaking a little shakily, it took me some time to give a response, "Yes, I'd like to create a new character.". No going back.

The voice spoke about creation options, and asked questions about what type of character to create. Some people jabbered on and on about "builds", and how to create a powerful character, what abilities were best for solo play, or for parties... All that junk didn't really matter to me, since I only wanted to login, look at the world and leave. "Just create it randomly or something, I don't really care." I instructed. It seemed the most logical thing to do.

The voice spoke back in a happier tone, "Understood. Your new character ID is number 9028659574, and welcome to the Realm.". The black surroundings quickly vanished, to be replaced with the alternate reality some people spent more time in than the original.


End file.
